1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic still camera in which an image signal, obtained by an imaging device, for example, is subjected to an image correction process and recorded in a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional electronic still camera is constructed in such a manner that an image signal obtained by an imaging device is subjected to image correction processes, including a white balance process, a gamma correction and so on, and then recorded in a recording medium. The image correction processes conform to the indication characteristics of a display device on which an image obtained by the electronic still camera is indicated, so that a color image, being as close as possible to the original image, can be reproduced, due to the image correction processes.
Conventionally, the display device cannot be changed. However, if the display device is changed to another display device, and the image signal, recorded in the recording medium, is reproduced to be indicated on the other display device, the image indicated by the other display device may not have a satisfactory quality, since the image signal has not been subjected to image correction processes conforming to the other display device.
Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an image correction device by which an image signal can be subjected to optimum image correction processes when using an arbitrary display device.
According to the present invention, there is provided an image correction information recording device provided in an electronic still camera, comprising an image correcting processor, an image signal recording processor and a processing order recording processor. The image correcting processor performs a plurality of image correction processes to an image signal in a processing order to generate a corrected image signal. The image signal recording processor records the corrected image signal in a recording medium. The processing order recording processor records the processing order in the recording medium.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an image recording medium comprising an image recording area and an information recording area. An image signal can be recorded in the image recording area. The image signal is subjected to a plurality of image correction processes in a processing order, which is also recorded in the information recording area.
Furthermore, an image signal processing device processes a corrected image signal, which has been obtained by performing a plurality of image correction processes to an image signal in a processing order. The device comprises a processing order determining processor and an image signal restoring processor.
The processing order determining processor determines the processing order. The image signal restoring processor performs restoration processes, the contents of which are the opposite of the image correction processes, to the corrected image signal in a restoring order, which is the reverse of the processing order.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an image signal processing system comprising an image correcting processor, an image signal recording processor, a processing order recording processor, a processing order reading processor, and an image signal restoring processor. The image correcting processor performs a plurality of image correction processes to an image signal in a processing order to generate a corrected image signal. The image signal recording processor records the corrected image signal in a recording medium. The processing order recording processor records the processing order in the recording medium. The processing order reading processor reads the processing order from the recording medium. The image signal restoring processor performs restoration processes, the contents of which are the opposite of the image correction processes, to the corrected image signal in a restoring order which is the reverse of the processing order.